IPTO (ADMIE) reports that Cyclades Interconnection Phase A, which includes the initial 150 kV Lavrio–Syros submarine cable alongside the Syros–Paros, Syros–Mykonos and Syros–Tinos links, was completed in May 2018. Following completion, the autonomous oil-fired power stations on the interconnected islands were placed in emergency reserve and their electricity demand began to be supplied from the mainland Hellenic Electricity Transmission System (HETS), marking the start of full commercial operation of the Lavrio–Syros Phase A interconnector as part of the wider Cyclades system.
Phase A of the Cyclades interconnection, including the new GIS substation on Syros and the associated 150 kV GIS works at Lavrio that enable the Lavrio–Syros link, was commissioned and put into operation in the first months of 2018, completing the initial interconnection of Syros with the mainland and related island links.
Prysmian Group, under a contract awarded by Greek transmission system operator IPTO for the Lavrio–Syros interconnection, planned to complete installation and protection of the 150 kV HVAC submarine and land cables by 2016, following manufacturing in 2015. The turnkey cable system, spanning over 110 km between the mainland landfall at Lavrio and Syros in the Cyclades, was scheduled to have all cable laying and protection works finished within 22 months of the 2014 contract award.
Onshore construction for the Cycladic Islands Interconnection with the Hellenic Power Transmission System, including the 150 kV AC submarine cable link between Lavrio and Syros (Group A) and associated 150/20 kV GIS substations and Static Var Compensator, commenced in 2015. The project, owned by IPTO (ADMIE SA) and implemented with contractors such as Prysmian Powerlink for the Lavrio–Syros submarine cable and consortia led by ALSTOM Grid and ABB for substations and SVC works, covered engineering, procurement, and civil and electrical works during the 2015–2017 period in the Cyclades, Greece.
As part of the EU state-aid decision for the Cyclades Interconnection Phase A, a works breakdown allocated a budget of €100 million for the 150 kV underground and submarine cables connecting Lavrio with Syros and associated works on Syros, within a first-stage package totalling €159 million. This budget definition established the specific cost envelope for the Lavrio–Syros interconnector segment inside Phase A.
€100M
Licence: EU state aid approval for the interconnection of the northern Cyclades islands with the National Grid System (Phases A–C)
On 21 November 2014, the European Commission approved a state aid measure for the construction of the Cyclades interconnection system, granting support to transmission operator ADMIE/IPTO for Phases A, B and C, which include the initial 150 kV Lavrio–Syros submarine cable and related works to connect the northern Cyclades islands to the Greek mainland grid.
Licence: Designation of the Cyclades interconnection as a project of 'major importance for the country’s economy'
In November 2006, a Greek ministerial decision designated the Cyclades interconnection project—covering the new high‑voltage links between Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and the mainland, including the initial Lavrio–Syros 150 kV cable in Phase A—as a project of “major importance for the country’s economy,” establishing its priority status in the national transmission development programme aimed at improving supply reliability and reducing costs for the interconnected islands.
Cyclades Interconnection Phase A, which includes the Lavrio–Syros 150 kV HVAC submarine interconnector and radial links to Paros, Mykonos and Tinos, was co-financed by the European Union and the NSRF 2007–2013 and 2014–2020 programmes and additionally funded by the European Investment Bank, against a total project budget of €264.3 million including preliminary expenses. This combination of EU structural funds and EIB financing provided the capital support needed to deliver the Phase A infrastructure.
Italian cabling company Prysmian was contracted by Greek transmission operator IPTO for the first stage of the Cyclades submarine interconnection, which included supplying and installing the 150 kV AC submarine cable link between coastal Lavrio on the Attica mainland and the island of Syros. This earlier collaboration is referenced in later reports on Phase B works, confirming Prysmian’s role as main cable contractor for the Lavrio–Syros interconnection in Phase A.
| Attica | South Aegean | |
|---|---|---|
| Landfall | Lavrio (Lavrio GIS 150 kV Switching Substation), GR | Syros (Syros GIS Substation), GR |
| Grid Connection | Lavrio GIS 150 kV Switching Substation | Syros GIS Substation (150 kV) |
Attica
South Aegean